Dump, Copy or Replace T3200SX BIOS

Dumping and Copying
Toshiba T3200SX BIOS
Preface
These instructions assume the use of a T3200SX portable computer and a TL866 Programmer. They also
assume that the reader has a reasonable technical knowledge and is comfortable working with computers, both
hardware and software, as well as Microsoft Windows.
If you are only dumping the BIOS, only writing a new one or something else the instructions can probably be
used in this manner by skipping or re-arranging certain steps.
I will not be held responsible for any damage, loss of data or otherwise that may occur from following these
instructions…
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1: Open the case
Ensure that the power is disconnected before opening the
computer. Place the computer on a good surface and turn it upside
down carefully. Locate the four screws near the front of the casing
– two of them are by the carry handle – note Fig. 1.
Once these screws are removed, place them somewhere safe and
turn over the computer so it is the correct way up. Lift up the
screen and ensure that it is not likely to fall closed whilst you are
working.
Fig. 1
Carefully lift the keyboard up at the front, see Fig. 2, but be weary
of the ribbon cable. These can be brittle and are liable to snap
inside if abused. Try to keep the ribbon relatively straight.
Fig. 2
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Place the keyboard carefully near the front of the machine, not so
close that it kinks the ribbon but not so far that it stretches it.
Now remove the two screws holding the metal shield in place – See
Fig. 3 - Be careful not to lose them in the machine as the previous
owner had done with mine. This shield is lifted upward and forward
gently, it should easily move away. See Fig. 4.
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
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2: Remove the Chip
The BIOS EPROM is located near the FPU socket – Fig. 5 – it should
be labelled XX27C1024-NN where XX is a manufacturer code and
NN is the latency. Mine is a HN27C1024-85 which implies that it was
made by Hitachi and has a latency of 85ms, chips with values of -10
or -12 would have latencies of 100ms and 120ms respectively.
In an ideal world you would now use a chip puller to extract the
chip as in Fig. 6, however, most are too short or have prongs that
are not pronounced enough to grab hold of the chip properly. If you
are using a chip puller, grip it evenly and pull lightly and evenly on
the chip, rock it side to side gently if it remains stuck – do not yank
the chip puller as this may stress the legs excessively and snap
them off which is not good news.
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
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If a chip puller is not appropriate you can always wedge the chip
out carefully. To do this you need a flat object, in Fig. 7 I am using
a flat screwdriver. Place this so the tip is between the chip and its
socket – be careful. Gently lift this side of the chip a little by
levering the flat object against the socket and repeat this process
on the other side. Repeat as necessary until the chip is loose
enough to remove by hand. Be careful not to touch the legs any
more than necessary.
Fig. 7
In Fig. 8 you can see that the chip was successfully removed. Note
how the label covering the quartz window has the revision of the
BIOS written on it. The picture shows 003I here.
Do not remove this label.
Fig. 8
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Hook the Programmer up to your [modern] computer and load the
software for it. You can insert the chip now if you want to, make
sure the lever is in the up position and that you abide by the notch
in the chip which designates Pin 1, my programmer shows that this
notch should be at the end where the lever is and the chip should
always be closest to this end – though being a 40-Pin programmer
this 40-Pin chip doesn’t leave any choice there – once the chip is
Fig. 9
inserted into the programmer, push the lever down as in Fig 10.
Fig. 10
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3: Dump the ROM
Sometimes the TL866 software will ask you
to re-flash the firmware before use. This is
trivial and can be found in the Tools menu.
If this should happen you should remove
the chip (if it is already in the programmer)
and select this option. The programmer
firmware will update and when it is done you
can re-insert the chip as described
previously.
Fig. 11
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Next you must select the chip type that you are using. Do that by clicking below
“Select IC” – see Fig. 12 - this will open up a new window as in Fig. 13, you
needn’t go through the list, simply type 27C1024 into the search box and it
should find several. You need to select the correct manufacturer for your chip but
if it is not available in the list, select one of the others as it should be a compatible
chip provided the numbers are the same.
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Fig. 12
Fig. 13
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Once the chip type is selected you may proceed to Read the data from the chip by
pressing the “Read” button on the toolbar, see Fig. 14.
This will bring up the dialog displayed in
Fig. 15, press Read and the chip should
be read into the machine. If this process
fails check it is seated correctly, make
sure you have the correct type selected
and make corrections if necessary. If
you had to select a different
manufacturer then you will need to
untick the “Check device ID” checkbox
at the lower left before opening this
dialog.
Fig. 16
Fig. 15
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Fig. 14
If that does not work, I am beyond any real
ability to help in these instructions.
However, the read should go ahead and you
should end up with a success message at
which point you can close the dialog box.
You should have something that looks like
Fig. 17. Interestingly it appears that the
video BIOS is also contained in this chip and
is the first thing in the ROM; BIMBCP… etc…
is IBM COMPATIBLE Phoenix Advanced
Video BIOS Version Copyright (C) 1984-1989
Phoenix Technologies Ltd. With Endian
reversed.
I recommend doing a Verify next to make
sure the chip was dumped correctly: Fig. 18.
Fig. 18
Fig. 17
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Now Save the ROM to a file on your hard drive in case you need it later. If you are
making a copy you will want it later to do that. Congratulations, the ROM is now
dumped and can be copied to whatever you want to copy it to… Presumably the same
type of chip for another T3200SX as I suspect it’s uses may be limited outside of that.
Chances are you can remove the chip by now. However, note that whenever the chip
is in use, the RUN LED will illuminate on the Programmer as it is in Fig. 20. NEVER
remove the chip or disconnect the Programmer when this LED is lit if you can help it as
it is liable to break something.
Fig. 19
Fig. 20
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4: Copy the ROM
This process is not vastly dissimilar to the process of dumping the chip.
Firstly you need to take a new chip of the same type, if it’s a different
manufacturer remember to correct this in the “Select IC” dialog or
uncheck the “Check device ID” checkbox. Note how the chips have
their quartz windows exposed. This will be explained later.
All you have to do is select the IC, load the ROM you dumped and press the “Program” button, which appears
as
on the toolbar. This dialog behaves much the same as the “Read” dialog does.
You can also use the Verify button again to check the chip. Please note that you had better be sure you want
to write to the EPROM before you do so, the chip is not electronically erasable.
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5: Re-install chip
Whether you are using the original chip or installing a new one, you
must now return to the T3200SX.
If you have written a new chip you may first want to tape over the
quartz window to prevent accidental erasure of the EPROM, whilst
Fig. 21
indoor lighting generally doesn’t output much if any UVC and will not
erase the chip, sunlight or other sources can have an effect. Foil tape is best but any will do.
Make a note of where the notch should be, in my system it faces
towards the SIMM slots. Press evenly and gently to guide the chip into
the socket. You may have to push the edges of the chip against the top
of your desk to bend the pins inwards a little so they fit in the socket
properly. Be sure that no pins are bending or escaping over the edges.
Fig. 22
The chip should insert relatively easily.
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6: Other information?
Reading the chip is pretty safe, especially given that it cannot be electronically erased and the laptop already
does this every time you power it up.
If you write a chip incorrectly or have to erase one you bought you will need a UVC lamp, you can also buy a
specific EPROM eraser which usually just has a drawer with a germicidal lamp attached to a timer… Never look
at the light from a UVC bulb as it can cause damage to your eyes, even blindness. Most EPROMS take 5-10
minutes to erase, if they don’t, you can put them back in. The TL866 software has a “Blank Check” feature
which will check that the chip is blank. Make sure the window is very clean before trying to erase a chip. You
might have to re-orient the chip under the UVC light source to let it erase properly if there is dirt or a defect in
the window that prevents the light from erasing certain Bits.
You can buy OTP versions of the 27C1024 which do not have the quartz window. These chips can not be
erased, hence OTP which means “One-Time-Programmable”, if you make a mistake with these you will have to
buy a new one. I recommend using erasable versions until you know your copy of the ROM is good.
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Observe the latency; try to get chips of the same or better than yours. Less latency is better. 85ms is what
Toshiba went with.
These instructions are only a general guide and they expect a reasonable technical knowledge is possessed by
the person trying to carry them out. They are probably shoddily written as I tried to kill two birds with one
stone.
These instructions were written in Office 97 using a Toshiba Satellite Pro 410CDT with a Pentium 90MHz, 40MB
of RAM and a 1.6GB hard drive running Windows 95. The conversion to PDF was done using a Dell XPS that was
recalled for setting fire which I don’t like so much…
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